Torpedo-netting.



E. A. CLARK.

4 TORPEDO NETTING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-12.1914. RENEWED JAN. 10.1911.

1,260,Q5& Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

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TOEDO-NETTING.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application flied Gctober 12, 1914, serial Ho.'866,260. Renewed January10, 1917. Serial No. 141,698.

To all whom it'may concern:

' Be it known that I, Ewen A. CLAnK, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Revere, in the county of Sufiolk and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have mvented certain new and useful Improvements inTorpedo-Nettings', of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

This invention relates to nettings designed to protect warships againstdestruction by torpedoes. The type of netting thus far used is open tothe objection that, be ng stationary, it may be cut by a submarlne and atorpedo projected through the opening; or a torpedo set with a time-fusemay be used to clear away suiiicient of the netting to permit thepassage of others unimeded. P The object of this invention is theconstruction of one or more traveling nettings operated from within theWarship, and adapted by its motion to prevent its being out by hostilecraft; while a hole blown through it at one part is replaced by thetraveling uninjured sections of the remainder of the netting.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1is a plan view of a battleship equipped with a movable netting embodyingmy improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail face view of a portion of thenetting. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the netting showingits operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a cross section of a battleshipshowing the netting carried thereby. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of apart of the netting.

The reference numeral 1 designates a warship of any desired type havingmy movable netting or shield applied thereto. The latter is supportedand actuated by sev' eral arms 2 having pulleys at their outer ends andalso at an intermediate point of their length, as shown in Figs. 1 and3. I prefer to employ two movable nettings and one stationary netting,the latter between the others and the surface of the steamship, themovable nettings being adapted for travel in opposite directions, buteach netting being endless and embracing the entire vessel.

The outermost netting 4 is composed of vertical rods 5 attached neartheir top and bottom ends to chains 7 8 which engage the sprocket wheels9, 10 carried by shafts 11,

12. These shafts have bearings within the strong hollow arms 2, and arerotated by power received from the vessel, as from electric motors 13(Fig. 1). Between the rods are located several horizontal lines of links14, each link being formed with an eye 15 at each end (Fig. 5)penetrated by the rods, and kept in place thereon by sections of tubing16.

For retainin the chains 7 8 in place upon the whee s 9, 10, idlerwheelsl? are provided (Figs. 2- and 3), and to connect the rods 5 withthe chains in the grooves 19 of said wheels, each rod is formed with ashort arm 20 (Fig. 5) having an eye 21 composing one link in the chain.

I prefer to give each rod 5 an upward extension 22 hinged thereto topermit its swinging toward the side of the vessel, as at 23, and adaptedto yieldingly return to its normalvertical position, as by thecounterweight 24:.

A similar arrangement of chains 7, 8 and rods and links 5, 14, isdisposed a spaced distance from the netting 1, and composing a netting25 designed to travel about the vessel in the opposite direction to thenetting 4. To accomplish this, the chain 7 engages the under peripheryof the pulley or sprocket wheel 9 and the chain 8 the upper periphery ofthe pulley or sprocket wheel 10; since the chains of the netting 4:engage the opposite points of their pulleys 9, 10. By rotating theshafts 11 and 12 in opposite directions, the two chains of the netting dwill travel in one direction, and

the two chains of the netting 25 will travel in the o posite direction.

I pre or to support a stationary netting 26 between the arms (Figs. 1and 3) a short distance between the inner netting 25 and the ships side,and toattach a fine meshed netting 27 to the outer movable netting 4.,as shown in Fig. 3.

The arms 2 are pivoted at 29 to swing vertically, and are supportedsubstantially horizontal by cables 30 attached to the upper arms at 31and to the Side of the vessel at an elevated point.

A netting 32 may be suspended beneath the vessel (Fig. 4) in order toguard the under surface thereof.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The nettings 4 and 25being made to continuously travel horizontally about the warship, atorpedo fired at the vessel and I reaching the outermost netting headon, will reached, when it will abandon the nettingand go sailing ofielsewhere.

If the torpedo penetrates the outer netting sufficiently to enter thenext one 25, the turning effect on the torpedo is even quicker thanbefore, and it is still more certamly prevented from reaching the vesselThe innermost or stationary netting '26 18 provided to entangle and stothe torpedo in case the movable ones are isabled.

- The urpose in hinging'the arms 2 and supportmg the duce the shockoccasioned by their thrashing down upon the surface of the water as thevessel rocks and plunges In a heavy sea. The shafts 11, 12 are eachformed'w th a universal coupling 33 (Fig. 3) to perm t the swingingaction of said arms.

, I prefer to provide each arm 2 with a pair of horizontal wheels 34 toreceive the inward thrust of the chains 7 and g3, especially at the bowand stem of the ship.

I also prefer to provide the chaln 8 with several hooks 35 projectingoutward therefrom, in order that should the netting 4 come in contactwith any anchored or floating mine, the latter will have its chainengaged by one of said hooks and the mine carried around to the stern ofthe vessel, at which point the motion of the latter Wlll cause the mineto become detached from the hook and caused to drift astern.

4. The combination with a vessel, of anendless netting horizontallyextended about the vessel, and means for giving a continuous motion oftranslation thereto.

5. The combination with a vessel, of

spaced arms projecting from the sides of the vessel, an endless nettinghorizontally same by cables 30 is to re extended about the vessel andsupported by the arms, and means for longitudinally moving the netting.

6. The combination with a vessel, of spaced arms projecting from thesides of the vessel, sprocket w eels at the ends of said arms, means forforcibly rotating certain of the sprocket wheels, and an endless nettingincluding a chain horizontally extended about the vessel, said chainengaging said wheels.

7 The combination with a vessel, of spaced arms projecting from andpivoted to said vessels sides to swing vertically, an endless nettinghorizontally extended about the vessel and supported by the arms, andmeans for longitudinallyjmoving the netting.

8. The combination with a vessel, of spaced arms projecting from andpivoted to said vessels sides to swing vertically, a cable a supportingeach arm in a substantially hori- .zontal position, an endless nettinghorizontally extended about the vessel and supported by the arms, andmeans for longitudinally moving the netting.

9. The combination with a vessel, of hollow arms projecting from thesides of the vessel,shafts in said arms having means within thevessel-for their forcible rotation,

a sprocket wheel fixed upon the outer end of each shaft, an idler wheelcarried by each arm immediately in contact with the periphery of eachsprocket wheel, and a netting including a chain movable between eachprovided wheel and idler.

10. A torpedo netting comprising, in combination with a vessel, a seriesof driven shafts projecting from the sides of the vessel, a flexiblecoupling connected with the end of each shaft, a shaft connected witheach flexible coupling, a tubular arm containing each of the last-namedshafts havin a ball and socket connection with the vesse and supportedin a substantially horizontal position, a sprocket wheel carried by eachof the last named shafts, a second sprocket wheel carried by eachtubular armin peripheral contact with the wheel on the associated shaft,a netting, and a sprocket chain passing between the peripheries of eachpair of said wheels and supporting the netting.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention, I have hereunto setmy hand this 8th day of October, 1914.

EWEN A. GLARK.

Witnesses:

A. B. UPHAM, Josnrn W. Downs.

